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Mermaid
Mermaids are legendary aquatic creatures with the head and torso of a human female and the tail of a fish. The male version of a mermaid is called a merman; gender-neutral plurals could be "merpeople" or "merfolk". Various cultures throughout the world have similar figures. Because mermaids thrive in salt-water conditions, they would rarely be found in a freshwater lake or stream. Rather lagoons are much more frequented by these beauties. It is important to recognize this key difference between lakes and lagoons. Etymology The word "mermaid" is a compound word of the Middle English mere meaning "sea" and maid meaning woman. The Old English equivalent of mermaid is merewif, meaning "water-witch". In Mythology Much like the Sirens of Greek mythology, mermaids would sometimes sing to sailors and enchant them, distracting them from their work and causing them to walk off the deck or cause shipwrecks. Other stories would have them squeeze the life out of drowning men while trying to rescue them. They are also said to take them down to their underwater kingdoms. In Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, it is said that they forget that humans cannot breathe underwater, while others say they drown men out of spite. The Sirens of Greek mythology are sometimes portrayed in later folklore as mermaid-like; in fact, some languages use the same word for both creatures. Other related types of mythical or legendary creature are water fairies (e.g. naiads and various water nymphs) and selkies, animals that can transform themselves from seals to humans. Prior to the mid-19th century, mariners referred to manatees and dugongs as mermaids. In Popular Culture Mermaids have been present in fictional literature for centuries and cinema since the early twentieth century. Literature *'The Little Mermaid' by Hans Christian Andersen published in 1837 combined mermaid myths from around the globe. Also becoming a standard for mermaids in media and literature thereafter. *Mermaids also made an appearance in the famous novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville published in 1851. *'One Thousand and One Nights', originally Persian released in the 8th century was published in English in 1706. Detailing mermaids myths from the Middle East and Southern Asia. *Writer L. Frank Baum, introduced merpeople in both The Sea Fairies, published in 1911 and The Scarecrow of Oz published in 1915. *'Wet Magic' written by Edith Nesbit and published in 1913. See's four children who save a mermaid from the circus and return to the Kingdom of the merfolk with her. *Mermaids are featured throughout The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. *'The Goblin Tower' by L. Sprague de Camp published in 1968. Showcases a romantic relationship between a mermaid and a human prince. *Two siblings capture a mermaid in The Moon and the Sun written by Vonda N. McIntyre and published in 1997. *Mermaids are also featured throughout the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. **''"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" featuring them the most. *'Aquamarine' published in 2001 and written by Alice Hofman. Showcases two teenage girls who befriend a mermaid of the same age. Category:Mythical creatures Category:C. S. Lewis mythology Category:Merpeople Category:Pirate mythology Category:J. M. Barrie mythology Category:Sailor mythology